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Fans Favor Falcons, But Expect Broncos to Take Super Bowl XXXIII

by Mark Gillespie

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

Is it the "Dirty Bird," or just the desire to see an underdog
succeed in the Super Bowl? According to the latest Gallup Poll,
football fans want to see the Atlanta Falcons upset football's
defending champions, the Denver Broncos, when Super Bowl XXXIII
kicks off on Sunday.

In the poll conducted over the weekend of January 22-24, the
Falcons took top honors when fans were asked which team they'd like
to see win the Super Bowl. Fifty-four percent of those polled who
described themselves as football fans favor the Falcons, while 41%
back the Broncos.

However, reality sets in when the fans consider the strengths of
both teams. When asked who they believe will win the Super Bowl,
fans picked Denver to beat Atlanta by an overwhelming margin: 74%
of those polled believe the Broncos will win their second straight
Super Bowl, while only 21% gave the nod to the Falcons.

While the fans expect Denver to repeat as Super Bowl champions,
Atlanta could wind up with an upset. Last year, 61% of those polled
projected the Green Bay Packers would beat the Broncos. John Elway,
of course, led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl title with a
31-24 win over the Packers.

Survey Methods
The results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 627 adults, 18 years and older, who
described themselves as football fans, conducted January 22-24,
1999. For results based on samples of this size, one can say with
95 percent confidence that the error attributable to sampling and
other random effects could be as much as plus or minus 4 percentage
points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.

Slightly more Americans agree (52%) than disagree (45%) that the federal government is responsible for making sure all Americans have healthcare coverage. This balance of views is similar to last year.

Americans' daily self-reports of spending averaged $98 in November, up from $93 in October. The latest figure is the highest average recorded for the month of November since Gallup began tracking consumer spending in 2008.